Smoothies and Epiphanies
by lilac haze
Summary: Ino could be a real genius when she wanted to be. With a few choice words she changed her friends' lives. SakuraXNaruto.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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"God, you are so stupid sometimes Sakura," Ino said almost offhandedly while twirling the straw in her smoothie. She sat across from her friend with her face was resting in her left hand.

"Gee and you wonder why we don't hang out more, Pig." Her pink haired friend replied whilst crinkling her nose in displeasure. Ino stared at her before she let out a sigh. Sakura got the feeling that Ino was going to talk to her as if she was a five year old that refused to believe that Santa Claus was not real. Sakura was use to Ino's proclamations yet this one has a different vibe to it. Sakura mentally prepared herself for what was to come.

"Honestly for that huge forehead of yours, one would think there is an equally large brain behind it. But seriously, you need to get your act together," Ino continued on ignoring the snort that came out of her best friend. "You can't just sit on your hands and waste time, before you know it, it will be too late. Listen Sakura, I don't want to see you alone and bitter." Ino's voice was uncharacteristically gentle and soft. She placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm as she watched Sakura's eyes get darker.

"I know you're right," Sakura muttered defeated. She buried her face in her arms. "I don't want to be hurt again." Sakura's voice came muffled and soft but Ino caught every word. 'Well this is not what I had in mind,' Ino thought as she took in her friends defeated frame. She spared a sad glance at her friend before she carefully thought out her next words.

"And that's what makes you so stupid! God you are such a kid. For someone who puts so much pride in coming so far you really haven't changed much Haruno. All I see is the same pathetic girl so hung up on Sasuke that she can't form a coherent thought!" Ino was livid in her speech. She mentally cringed when she saw Sakura snap her head up and send her, her best death glare. 'Good, she's mad now,' Ino noted.

"You of all people know that I am over him!" Sakura hissed through her teeth. Her depressed aura vanished and was replaced one with raw anger. Her face was contorted in pure rage.

"The hell you are! Even if you don't love him you let the very thought of him ruin any potential relationships!" Ino matched Sakura's fury with cold fury of her own. "Damn it, don't you see Naruto is not Sasuke! He will not hurt you. Hell he loves you too much to hurt you! I'm tired of you dancing around each other, damn it obvious to anyone with half a brain that you two are dying to be together! You need to stop getting in your own way!" Ino watched closely all the emotions that flickered across her friends face. One thing Sakura could never get good at was masking her true emotions, her eyes made her painfully easy to read. Ino knew her words were harsh but her friend needed to hear them.

Sakura opened her mouth but she had no intention of saying anything. She was completely shocked. How could Ino know her feelings when she just figured them out not to long ago? 'Am I really that obvious?' Sakura Haruno was at a loss for words. "Listen honey, he's not going to stay single for long. You've moved on from Sasuke, I know that and you know that but Naruto sure the hell doesn't. He still believes in his heart that you still love him, heck he refused to believe your half-assed confession from years ago. Naruto would do anything for your happiness and that even includes being miserable himself. Look, as far as he's concerned he did his job. He brought Sasuke back and I think he's just waiting for you two to get married, he probably thinks that will bring him some form of closure. He's the Hokage Sakura, he will end up marring some rich girl from another land to improve relations among nations. Naruto is more than willing to do that because he thinks that's what you want. We are not getting any younger and the elders are already on his back about marriage, Shikamaru told me." Ino explained not giving Sakura the opportunity to interrupt her.

"I know I am dumping a lot of heavy stuff on you now, and I know it's a lot to deal with but Sakura you are running out of time. We are not going to be young forever. Naruto is killing himself every time he sees you. It's as if he has so much to say to you but he can't because he's just as bone headed as you. He is afraid of shattering what he thinks is your fantasy by spending more time with you. Go, get over your irrational fears and tell him how you feel." Ino finished gently, she knew that Sakura was an emotional wreck right now but again she needed someone to help her understand reality. She looked at the pink haired medic, Sakura's mouth was still agape and her eyes had glossed over as if she was thinking about something.

Ino knew that all that was missing was a gentle push. So she opened her mouth and with a huge grin she said, "Now go get your man before some other chick stakes claim!" That was all it took. Sakura immediately straightened up in her chair and abruptly stood up. Before Ino could get in another word in Sakura was already running at full speed toward the Hokage tower. Ino hid her grin by taking a sip of her partially melted smoothie. "Sakura you owe me big time for this one, you have to name your first born after me," Ino mused out loud as she stretched her limbs. She was definitely in a good mood today, hell she did not even mind that Sakura left her with the bill for her drink as well.

Sakura ran as fast as her legs would take her. At times like these she wished she knew Naruto's Thunder-God technique. She knew that she looked like a mess her face would be red and she would be drenched in sweat but if what Ino said was true- and she was sure it was- Naruto would still consider her beautiful. She knew that Ino was right about everything, even about Sasuke. Sakura was hurt before when she confessed to Sasuke and that hurt prevented her from pursuing a relationship with the blond knucklehead. Sakura picked up her pace even more when she saw that she was a mere feet away from the tower, she ran up the stairs and ignored Shikamaru's warnings. Sakura was too full of emotions and adrenaline to think anything through, before anyone could stop her she yanked open the door and breathlessly uttered "Naruto, I love you. Believe it! "

Everyone in the room froze; Sakura had to remind herself to breathe, her heart was beating rapidly and she was almost certain that she would have a heart attack. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had just said and the whole weight of the situation finally dawned on her. Naruto was in a meeting, an important one at that, she had just confessed her feelings for the Hokage in a room full of strangers and colleges. God she was going to kill Ino! Sakura felt her throat close up as the seconds felt like an eternity. Her nerves were a wreck at this point anything could set her off. She was vaguely aware that Shikamaru was standing behind her holding the door open with his mouth open, he was shocked. Unease and doubt began to rise in Sakura when she realized that Naruto hadn't moved or spoken he was frozen much like everyone else. But Sakura felt all her unease melt away when she saw the Hokage get up close the distance between them and claim her lips, maybe she won't kill Ino after all.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this short dabble. If it's not too much to ask for please review and leave your thoughts.

~ Lilac Haze


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